At a Glance: January 26, 2026
Announcements
Build a Meaningful Connection by Joining the New Pen Pal Program
The University of Illinois Library and International Education are launching a new Pen Pal Program that pairs university students with members of the Champaign-Urbana community through handwritten letters. The program aims to combat loneliness while fostering meaningful intergenerational and intercultural connections. Participation is free, with recycled and donated stationery provided. Optional in-person mingling events will be held on February 19 and April 30 for pen pals who wish to meet face to face. Interested participants should submit an application for the Pen Pal Program by Sunday, February 8.
Schedule an Advising Meeting with a Specialist
Have any questions about your degree program? Now is a great time to meet with a specialist to prepare for Spring 2! The Student and Academic Success Specialists provide academic advising and support for all students in Gies Online Programs. Whether you need assistance with registration, course selections, dropping or withdrawing from classes, degree planning, or accessing resources available to you - our team is here to help! We offer 25 minute one-on-one Advising Appointments and 15 minute one-on-one Express Advising sessions (first-come, first-serve). You can also email i-support@illinois.edu at any time, with any question. We are here for you!
Gies Events
Orlando Meet Up
Thursday, January 29 | 5:30-7:30 pm ET
Gies Advancement —our alumni engagement team dedicated to building lasting relationships and fostering ongoing connection and support for the college— is looking forward to providing an opportunity for our iDegree learners in the Orlando area to gather for a meet up! Join alumni and your fellow learners for an evening of connecting and networking. The event will take place Thursday, January 29 at The Tap Room at DubsDread-Veranda, DubsDread Golf Course (549 W. Par Street, Orlando, FL 32804). Space is limited. Please RSVP to lukeman@illinois.edu to notify that you will attend by Wednesday, January 28 at 12:00 pm ET. We look forward to connecting with you!
Gies News
ChatGPT-4.0: Better Math, Same Financial Risks
Is ChatGPT any good at offering financial advice? Last year, Sterling Raskie, a senior lecturer of finance at Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a certified financial planner, along with two colleagues, Minh Tam (Tammy) Schlosky and Serkan Karadas, both assistant professors of finance in the College of Business and Management at the University of Illinois Springfield, decided to find out. Read more about their findings here
Illinois Students Launch InvoGenix
A diverse team of five Illinois undergraduate students have co-founded InvoGenix, an AI-powered tool designed to fix a huge problem: the deluge of healthcare administrative paperwork, which leads to physician burnout and drains the US healthcare system of over $600 million annually. Read more about the tool here.
Ambulance Taxis: Curbing Medicare Fraud Without Hurting Patient Care
When ambulances routinely transport dialysis patients who don’t need medical care, they function more like Medicare-funded taxis. From 2003 to 2017, Medicare spent $7.7 billion on 37.5 million nonemergency ambulance trips to and from dialysis—many of which failed to meet reimbursement rules requiring no other safe transportation option. A new paper coauthored by Gies College of Business economist Riley League asks a straightforward but critical question: What actually stops this kind of fraud? Read more about the paper here.
This Week at Gies
Use the Event Calendar for information on upcoming events, such as iConverge and iDegree Convocation, as well as academic dates and deadlines for the semester. Click event titles below for details on the events happening this week.
Thursday, January 29
In Case You Missed It...
Previous At-a-Glance issues are available for viewing via the Announcements section of the Online Programs website.